Multi-hand blackjack video game
A method of playing multiple card games on video gaming apparatus is based on the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One. The game comprises at least one player making at least a first wager and at least a second wager, the first wager and the second wager defining a total initial wager, the total initial wager being equal to or exceeding at least four minimum wagers allowed for play of one of said multiple card games. The players are then dealt an initial first hand of two equivalent cards to the at least one each player in a first hand, second hand, third hand and fourth hand positions controlled by the at least one player to form a total of at least four player hands, the at least four player hands forming multiple player hands. The total initial wager is distributed among the multiple player hands so that at least four hands have wagers equal to or exceeding the minimum wagers allowed for play of one of said multiple card games. The dealing at least one face up card to the dealer comprises the dealer's hand, the at least one face up card being provided relative to each of the four player hands in the multiple player hands. The player's first hand is associated in play with at least one other of the second player's hand, the third player's hand, or the fourth player's hand to form a first group of player's hands for play against dealer's hands;
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to video gaming, particularly blackjack or 21 games played on video gaming equipment, and most particularly to variations of blackjack on video gaming equipment where multiple games may be played at about the same time.
As played in most gaming casinos presently, conventional Twenty-One involves a game of chance between a dealer and one or more players. The object is for the player to achieve a final numerical count of his hand closer to 21 than the final numerical count of the hand of the dealer. This final count of the player must be equal to or lower than 21, for if the numerical count of the player's hand goes over 21, he busts or breaks and then the player loses the initial wager regardless of the final numerical count of the dealer's hand. The conventional manner of play of Twenty-One or Blackjack is as follows: Each player places an initial wager on the play of a hand of Twenty-One. One or more standard decks of playing cards are used and each card counts its face value (with Jacks, Queens and Kings counting 10). Aces have a value of one or eleven at the option of the player or dealer, based upon which valuation is most beneficial to the count of the hand. Each player initially receives two cards, usually face up. The dealer also receives two cards. One of the dealer's cards is dealt face down and the other of the dealer's cards is dealt face-up. In some gaming establishments, the dealer receives his two cards at the same time that each player is dealt his two cards. In other gaming establishments, the dealer initially only receives one card which becomes the dealer's “up” card. After each player has had the opportunity to take additional cards (“hits”), the dealer then receives his second card.
A player may draw additional cards to try and beat the anticipated count of the dealer's hand or at least to establish an improved count in the player s hand. If the player takes additional cards so that the player's numerical count exceeds 21, the player “busts”. The player may stand on any numerical count of 21 or less. When a player busts, the player loses the initial wager regardless of whether or not the dealer busts when the dealer draws additional cards to his hand.
After all of the players have taken hits or have stood on their hand, the dealer exposes the dealer s cards and then “stands” or “hits” based on pre-established rules for the game. Typically, if the dealer has less than 17, the dealer must take a hit. If the dealer has 17 or more, the dealer stands. As the game of Twenty-One is played in most legalized gaming establishments, the conventional manner of play requires the dealer to take a hit whenever the dealer's hand is a “soft 17” numerical count. However in other gaming establishments, the dealer stands on a “soft 17” numerical count. The term “soft” means that the Ace is valued as a count of 11, instead of as a count of 1. A soft 17 occurs when the dealer has an Ace and a Six (or multiple cards that add up to 6). The dealer will always stand on soft 18's, soft 19's soft 20's and soft 21's.
After the dealer's final hand count has been established, the numerical count of the dealer's hand is compared to the numerical count of player's hands that are still in the game (i.e., they have not busted or surrendered). If the dealer busts, the player wins regardless of the numerical count of his hand. If neither the player nor the dealer has busted, the closest hand to a numerical count of 21, without going over, wins; tie hands are a “push”.
There are other procedures that are included in the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One. One well-known procedure is “Doubling Down”. If the player believes that the comparative state of the player s hand versus the partially disclosed state of the dealer s hand (as represented by a single disclosed card) offers the player a desirable opportunity to increase the initial wager while receiving a single card from the dealer, the player may elect to double-down. Normally, doubling down is done when the player's first two cards have a combined value of 10 or 11. It is more preferred for the dealer s exposed card to be between 2 and 6. The player may “double down” on his hand, anticipating that the dealer may bust, irrespective of the final count of the player s hand. The player turns both of his cards face-up in front of him and makes a second wager less than or equal to, but not more than, the amount of the player's initial wager. The dealer deals to the player one additional card and the resulting three card hand establishes the final numerical count for the player's hand. Some “Doubling Down” rules permit the player to “double down” only on 10 or 11 counts. Other variations allow players to “double down” on 9, 10 or 11; only on 11; or on any two cards. Another well-known strategy is “Splitting Pairs”. If the player's first two cards are a pair, the player may “split” those cards into two separate hands. The initial wager is applied to one of the hands and the player makes an additional wager in the same amount on the other hand. The player receives a new second card for each of the split hands. Each of the split hands is then played separately and the player proceeds on each separate hand by standing or taking hits until he has achieved a hand count upon which he wishes to stand or until he busts. However, if the player splits Aces, then under the most common rule the player may receive only one extra card on each Ace, unless the extra card is an Ace in which the case the player may again split the pair of Aces.
The player may “double down” on either or both of his split hands if he is eligible to do so under the “Doubling Down” rules. The player may split again if he pairs up on either or both of his split hands. In most gaming establishments, a player may also split his hand if both of his initial cards are ten count cards (Tens, Jacks, Queens or Kings). For example, a player can split if he receives a Ten and a Queen, or a Jack and a King, or any combination of ten count cards. Because a hand count of 20 is a good hand to have, most experienced Twenty-One players are reluctant to risk such a hand by “splitting”.
Another well-known procedure is an Insurance wager. If the dealer's up card is an Ace, the player may make an additional Insurance bet. The insurance bets are made after each player receives his first two cards and the dealer reveals the dealer s face-up card as an Ace. The dealer s exposed card must be an Ace for insurance to be available. The insurance wager is made before any additional cards are dealt. When the dealer's up card is an Ace, each player can wager one-half of the amount of his original ante as insurance against the dealer having a Blackjack, i.e. a two-card 21 count (an Ace and a 10 count card such as a King, Queen, Jack or Ten). If the dealer has a Blackjack, the player loses on his original ante but wins two-to-one odds on his insurance bet. If the dealer has a Blackjack, that round of the game is over and all players lose except those who also have Blackjacks, who then tie or “push” with the dealer. If the dealer does not have a Blackjack, the player loses on his insurance bet and the round of the game continues.
Another conventional feature that is often offered in Twenty-One games is the Surrender option. If the player chooses to Surrender, the player receives back half of his initial wager and folds his hand. This option is usually only available after the player has received his first two cards and before the player has taken any hits on his hand. This action is taken when the player believes that it is likely the player will lose the entire wager if the hand is played out.
As used in this disclosure and the accompanying claims, the terns “conventional Twenty-One” and “the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One” mean the game of Twenty-One as previously described and also including any of the known variations of the game of Twenty-One.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,429 (LeVasseur) discloses a Twenty-One game in which the player receives a single hand to play against multiple dealer's hands. The player makes one, two or three wagers depending upon how many dealer's hands the player wishes to play against. The player is dealt two cards and the dealer receives an original face up card. The player plays out his hand only once taking hits or standing as in conventional Twenty-One. Once the player has completed the play of his hand, the dealer then plays his hand out relative to the first wager made by the player. The outcome of this first play of the dealer's hand is determined relative to the player's hand. The dealer then discards all of his cards except the original face up card received by the dealer. The dealer then plays his hand out relative to the second wager made by the player. The player still uses his same first hand, but all the dealer's cards for his second hand are different except for the original face up card. Again the outcome of this second play of the dealer's hand is determined relative to the player's hand. Finally, a third dealer's hand is played in the same manner.
The method of play described in LaVasseur has been commercially successful in gaming casinos and played under the mark MULTIPLE ACTION“ Blackjack. But this method has the drawback that the player would have made three separate wagers and may receive a poor hand. The player must play a single hand with regard to all of his wagers. If the player during the play of this single hand exceeds a numerical hand count of 21 (the player busts), the player will have lost all three wagers regardless of the outcome of the play of the dealer's hand.
A disadvantage of conventional Twenty-One is that each round of the game consists of one player's hand against one dealer's hand. Once the player draws his cards and achieves a hand count total on which he wishes to “stand,” the player has only a single opportunity to win or lose because the dealer is likewise playing only a single hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,335 describes a video blackjack game where the player makes two or more wagers at the beginning of the hand. The player is dealt two cards and the dealer receives his two cards. The player uses the first two cards as his first hand with his first wager and plays these two cards as he would in the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One. The player may Double Down, split pairs and take Insurance if those options are available under the house rules of play. After the player has completed the play of his first hand, he uses his original two cards again as the first two cards of his second hand with his second wager. Again, the player plays his second hand as he would in the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One. If the player has made three or more wagers, the player repeats the play of each hand again using his first two cards with each additional wager. Once the player has completed the play of his hands, the dealer plays out his hand as he would in the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One. Each of the player's hands is compared to the dealer's hand and winning wagers are paid and losing wagers are collected.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,978 describes a game of Twenty-One in which the player has the opportunity to play his first two cards multiple times. The player makes two or more wagers at the beginning of the hand. The player is dealt two cards and the dealer receives his two cards. The player's first two cards may be dealt two cards to each player, or may be dealt one card to each player and one community card common to all players or may be dealt as two community cards common to each player. The player uses the first two cards as his first hand with his first wager and plays these two cards as he would in the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One. The player may Double Down, split pairs, take Insurance and/or Surrender if those options are available under the house rules of play. After the player has completed the play of his first hand, he uses his original two cards again as the first two cards of his second hand with his second wager. Again, the player plays his second hand as he would in the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One. As with the first hand, with the second hand the player may Double Down, split pairs, take Insurance and/or Surrender if those options are available under the house rules of play. If the player has made three or more wagers, the player repeats the play of each hand again using his first two cards with each additional wager.
There is a need in Twenty-One for a modification in which the player has the opportunity to win more than once during each round of play and to take advantage when the player receives a good hand using methods that are different from the play of previous games.
There is also a desire in the industry for the gaming establishments to increase the amount of revenue generated by the game of Twenty-One in video formats. Although the game of Twenty-One is quite popular, the use of video gaming equipment where blackjack is played is quite limited. Increasing both the rate of play and the size of the average wager are desirable enhancements. This can most easily be accomplished by increasing the number of hands that can be dealt and played in any given time period.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA video gaming system of play for potentially multiple hands of blackjack are provided. A player places a wager to engage in at least one blackjack game on the video gaming system. The dealer is dealt a single virtual hand (with one card displayed to the player) and the number of different dealer hands that may be played by a player against a single player s hand may be increased a) automatically by providing wagers in excess of the minimum wager or b) by election of the player with wagers in excess of the minimum wager. A maximum number of individual dealer hands may be provided both in play format a) and play format b). In the automatic format, as the amount of the wager exceeds a value equal to the maximum number of player hands allowed times the minimum wager, the wagers over this value are automatically distributed among the individual dealer hands in wagering unit increments. Similarly, if the player selects a specific number of hands, and the amount of the initial wager placed by the player exceeds the value of the number of games selected times the minimum wager per hand, the additional amount of the initial wager is automatically distributed among the individual dealer hands in wagering unit amounts.
A video gaming system and game are played on a video gaming apparatus comprising at least a housing, video display system, and microprocessor. Additional desirable features include coin handling system, currency handling systems, currency and coin authentication systems, credit management systems, player controls, coin tray, signal light systems, audio system, and other conventional peripherals found on wagering apparatus and systems. The microprocessor and other memory elements are programmed and/or designed to enable play of the game and operation of the peripherals.
The fundamental game may be described as follows. A gaming apparatus with display system (e.g., CRT, video monitor, plasma device, LED, liquid crystal display, etc.) is controlled by programmed hardware and/or software to accept wagers, which may be in the form of credit, coins, tokens, currency, slips, or any other value indicating device or system. Upon acceptance of the wager, the display will provide an image of a dealer s hand of blackjack (e.g., one card face up or two cards, usually with only one card face up, so that only a preliminary estimation of the dealer s hand is provided) and the initial two cards of a player hand. Each machine is usually programmed to accept wagers in units that are multiples of a minimum wager that is to be placed in the play of the game. Units of minimum wagers usually may be, by way of non-limiting example, $0.05, $0.10, $0.25, $0.50, $1.00, $2.00, $5.00, $10.00, $25.00 or the like. When a minimum wager is provided, a single blackjack game (that is a single player hand and a single dealer hand) will be played against the single dealer hand according to the rules of blackjack or Twenty-One programmed in the machine. That game would be played to conclusion according to those rules. When multiples of the minimum wager are provided, a game format according to the present invention may be played. The microprocessor determines the number of different dealer hands that may be provided according to the amount of the wager made (up to a machine programmed into the machine, such as 5 dealer hands in a single game, 10 dealer hands in a single game, 100 dealer hands in a single game, or any whole integer number between 2-100 as a non-limiting example. Alternatively, before the player s hand is completely or partially disclosed (one card shown) or even after the dealer s top card is displayed, the player may elect the number of dealer hands that the dealer wishes to have in play against the player s hand. Upon identifying the total wagering amount, the initial wager is distribute according to programmed rules among the number of dealer hands determined or selected.
As an example, consider the following examples. Assume that the gaming apparatus has a maximum number of five dealer hands available against a single player hand. If the minimum wager is $5.00, and the player is playing an apparatus where the system is programmed to automatically distribute the wager among five dealer hands, the following event would occur. Five dealer hands (considered by the microprocessor as hands 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) would be displayed, each dealer hand having a wager of $1.00 associated with the play of each hand. The player hand would be played to conclusion; that is, until the player decides that the hand will stand or the hand has busted. Each dealer hand would then be played to its individual conclusion, with the dealer s hand(s) being individually played automatically at the end of play of the player s hand. This would provide potentially distinct outcomes for each of the dealer hand/player hand combinations. If the initial wager were $23.00, hand 1 would be played for $5.00, hand 2 for $5.00, hand 3 for $5.00, hand 4 for $4.00 and hand 5 for $4.00. The machine would distribute the total wager amount equitably among the dealer hands, with, preferably, no more than a single wagering unit difference between any two hands. The hands need not be selected in linear order, and the program may randomly select which hands receive the larger or smaller amounts of the wager that is unequally distributable. For example, the machine may chose a random distribution of wagers as hand 1 would be played for $4.00, hand 2 for $5.00, hand 3 for $4.00, hand 4 for $5.00 and hand 5 for $5.00. This is less preferred as whenever the player hand that loses against the dealer s better resulting cards have the higher wager, there might be a concern by players that an unfair selection process was programmed into the system. The fact that wagering differentials were distributed in a uniform fashion would avoid that issue. After the player has played the uniform player s hand to a preliminary resolution (that is, the player has indicated on the system to stand, or is busted, or the like), the dealer s hand(s) would be played out according to the programmed rules of Twenty-One. The machine would then resolve wagers based on the rules of Twenty-One for each of the hands.
Another format of play within the scope of the invention is when the player selects the number of dealer s hands that are to be played in a single game. For example, if the player had selected five hands to be played, the play would be essentially indistinguishable from the method of play for the automatically programmed game described above with five dealer hands always available. However, there would be differences, for example, where the player selects 2, 3 or 4 hands or more. Selecting a single hand is effectively playing the gaming apparatus as a conventional Twenty-One gaming apparatus. In the event that 2 hands are selected by the player to be played, two hands (hand 1 and hand 2) would be provided. With a wager of $25.00, hand 1 would be played with a wager of $13.00 and hand 2 would be played with a wager of $12.00 according to the preferred rules of play. If the wager were $23.00, hand 1 would be playing with a $12.00 wager and hand 2 would be played with a $11.00 wager. If the player selected three player hands to be played (e.g., hand 1, hand 2 and hand 3), the wagers would be distributed as $9.00, $8.00 and $8.00, respectively. If the total wager were $23.00, the wagers would be distributed as $8.00, $8.00 and $7.00, respectively. As the hands are not disclosed until after the wager, there may also be a program where the player can allocate the wagers less proportionally. For example, if the player feels that hand 2 is winning disproportionately, the apparatus may have a function to allocate the wager more heavily towards one or more hands, yet requiring that all hands be played that are selected. The programming may also allow for the total wager to be allocated to less than all hands that are show or even to a single hand. In this event, hands to which no wager is allocated would either be played automatically by the program (without any possibility of player award) or would not be played at all, but would merely be shown on the display. For example, the player may elect to play $15.00 on hand 2 and $5.00 on hand 4, and $3.00 on hand 5, before either the player s cards or the dealer s cards are shown. Hand 1 and hand 3 would preferably be played out automatically (in sequence, with hand 1 being played automatically, immediately, then hand 2 played by the player, and then hand 3 played automatically after the players stands or busts with hand 2).
There are also a number of variations or variants of the play within this generic format of the system. For example, a single dealer hand could be displayed, with each of the player hands displayed in sequence or in a pattern in an area of the screen. In this format it would be desirable, but not essential, to have the dealer hand(s) clearly distinguished from the player hands. This can be done most simply by having the single player s hand larger than each of the dealer hands, or by having the background color or shape of the dealer s hand a different background color or shape than the player hands. Each of the player hands may be played according to the rules of Twenty-One that are programmed into the system. Preferably, these are standard rules, with double downs, splitting hands, blackjacks, surrender, and the like available for play. It is also conventional, but optional, to always have the dealer s hand(s) higher on the screen then the player s hand.
First VariantThe proposed game is an electronic casino game variation of Blackjack, with the ability to play multiple hands under a specific format and rules. The game is played with the following rules:
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- 1) A Player plays a single player hand of blackjack against one or more Dealer (machine or processor) hands.
- 2) The Player makes an initial wager for each hand that the Player intends to play against a Dealer s hand. The wager may even be placed against selected dealer hand(s), with no exposed cards on the hands. Otherwise, the wagers will be automatically distributed.
- 3) Each separate Dealer s hand is displayed in one region of the screen and the Player s universal hand is shown in its own region of the screen.
- 4) A preferred method is to have the primary Player s hand at the bottom of a display screen and each of the Dealer s hands positioned above each resulting Player s hand on the screen.
- 5) A normal sequence of blackjack is initiated between the universal Player s hand (that is, a single set of two cards are dealt as the Player s hand). That Player s hand is played a single time, and the result is provided against all of the dealer s hands. If the play of the Player s hand results in a count of 21, that count of twenty-one is played against each of the dealer s hands. If the player busts on the play of that single hand, all of the hands are busted, and all wagers lost.
- 6) The Player receives two cards face up and the Dealer receiving one card face up in each hand. The face up card for the dealer is the same in each dealer hand.
- 7) The Player plays the player s hand to the conclusion that the Player desires with respect to the Player s initial hand, the universal hand. This may include hitting, doubling down, splitting, standing, surrendering or taking insurance.
- 8) The Player s resulting final hand (including a bust) is displayed on the screen.
- 9) The Dealer s hand(s) are then played automatically according to the general rules of Blackjack—with the Dealer required to take a hit with a count of 16 or less and being required to stand with a count of 17 (house rules may vary as between hard 17 s and soft 17 s).
- 10) Any additional Dealer s hands that an initial wager had been made upon in step 1 will then be independently played with the same first up card according to the rules of Blackjack by the machine against the Player s resulting final hand (resulting in step 7).
- 11) Each Dealer s hand is compared with the Player s resulting final hand and each game resolved according to the rules of Blackjack as controlled by the machine.
The second variant of a proposed game has the following steps:
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- 1a) A Player makes wagers based on the number of hands to be engaged in by the Player.
- 2a) The Player is dealt a single initial hand (two cards) that is displayed in any multiple number of positions on a video screen (for example, in 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 positions), with a single Dealer s hand on the top of the screen or above/below each of the Player s hands shown.
- 3a) Each initial hand may be played differently by the Player against the Dealer s common displayed (up card) card. For example, a pair of eights as the Player s hand may be hit on some displays or split in others, or undergoes a stand in another position to moderate the Player s position with a bad hand.
- 4a) The Player makes an initial wager for each hand (prior to viewing the hand or a partial hand) that the Player intends to play against a Dealer s hand. The Player s hands will be separated into groups based upon the number of positions allowed for in the game and the number of separate decisions allowed on the Player s hand. For example, if there are ten Player play positions allowed (i.e., 10-Hand Multiplay Blackjack), ten identical initially dealt hands will be displayed, one in each Player play position. The Player is allowed at least two decisions on the initially dealt Player s hand. Using the same example above, if five decisions are allowed, then each decision will become ⅕ of the total number of wagered hands, or in this case, each group would contain two identically played Player s hands. When the total number of hands is not evenly divisible by the number of decisions, the number of hands are distributed in groups in unequal amounts with no greater inequality between each group of more than 1. For example, with 10 Player hand positions, two separate decisions will result in two groups (group 1 being positions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; group 2 being positions 6, 7, 8, 9,10). Three decisions would result in three groups (group 1 being positions 1, 2, 3, 4; group 2 being positions 5, 6, 7; group 3 being positions 8, 9, 10).
- 5a) Each separate Dealer s hand (an identical initial hand showing one card face up, with separate and distinct play on each Dealer s hand associated with each resulting Player s hand) is displayed in one region associated with the Player s hands on the screen and the Player s hand(s) is shown in its own region of the screen.
- 6a) A preferred method is to have the Player s hands lower on the display screen and each of the Dealer s hands positioned above each of the Player s hands on the screen.
- 7a) A normal sequence of blackjack is initiated between each of the Player s hand and the Dealer s hand, with the Player receiving two cards face up and the Dealer receiving one card face up.
- 8a) The Player plays the first Player s hand (and therefore the first group of hands) to the conclusion that the Player desires with respect to the Player s initial dealt cards. This may include hitting, doubling down, splitting, standing, surrendering or taking insurance.
- 9a) The Player s resulting final first hand (including a bust) or group of hands is displayed on the screen. The Player then, without completion or disclosure of the Dealer s hand, proceeds to the second decision of play in regards to the Player s initial cards, and plays out that hand or groups of hands to an independent Player s hand conclusion, the original first two cards being identical to the first hand. All subsequent Player hands (up to the total number of decisions allowed for and paid for) are also played to conclusion in the manner above.
- 10a) After all Player hands have been concluded, or after each Player s group of hands has been concluded, each of the Dealer s hands associated with each of the resulting Player s hands is then distinctly played according to the general rules of Blackjack. The Dealer is required to take a hit with a count of 16 or less and being required to stand with a count of 17 (house rules may vary as between hard 17 s and soft 17 s).
- 11a) At the completion of the Dealer s play of each hand or all of the hands, all Dealer s hands associated with each of the resulting Player hands are displayed.
- 12a) Each of the individual Player hands is then resolved against the variously played Dealer s hand. It is desirable to have each of the Dealer s hands positioned opposite the final resulting Player hands played independently (with the same up card), as this offers greater exercise of strategy for the player.
These formats of play can be further appreciated and understood by reference to the Figures.
It is clear to one skilled in the art that other variations in the game, both conventional and unconventional may be used to alter subtleties of play of the generic game described herein. These may be done without altering the underlying concept of play of the invention, and the game, even with those variations or additions are intended to be within the scope of this description and the claims.
In
Claims
1. A method of playing multiple card games on video gaming apparatus played by at least one player based on the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One comprising:
- a) at least one player making at least a first wager and a second wager, the first wager and the second wager defining a total initial wager, the total initial wager being equal to or exceeding at least two minimum wagers allowed for play of one of said multiple card games;
- b) dealing an initial two cards to the at least one each player in a first hand and dealing an equivalent hand to at least one additional player hand positions controlled by the at least one player to form additional player hands, the additional player hands and the initial first hand forming multiple player hands;
- c) distributing the total initial wager among the multiple hands so that at least two hands have wagers equal to or exceeding the minimum wagers allowed for play of one of said multiple card games;
- d) dealing at least one face up card to the dealer comprising the dealer's hand, the at least one face up card being provided relative to each player hand in the multiple player hands;
- e) with respect to each player's first wager and a player s hand associated with the first wager, the at least one player playing out the initial player hand to a conclusion of the play of the initial player hand;
- f) the additional player hands being played either i) identically to the conclusion of play of the initial hand or ii) individually according to the rules of Twenty-One;
- g) after i), all dealer s hands provided relative to each player s hands are either played out independently according to the rules of Twenty-One, and after ii), all dealer s hands are played out identically according to the rules of Twenty-One;
- h) all wagers are resolved on the play of each of the multiple card games according to the rules of Twenty-One.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional player hands are played identically to the conclusion of play of the initial hand according to the rules of Twenty-One and all dealer s hands provided relative to each player s hand are played to conclusion independently according to the rules of Twenty-One.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional player hands are played individually according to the rules of Twenty-One and all dealer s hands provided relative to each player s hands are played out identically according to the rules of Twenty-One.
4. A method of playing multiple card games on video gaming apparatus played by at least one player based on the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One comprising:
- a) at least one player making at least a first wager and at least a second wager, the first wager and the second wager defining a total initial wager, the total initial wager being equal to or exceeding at least four minimum wagers allowed for play of one of said multiple card games;
- b) dealing an initial first hand of two equivalent cards to the at least one each player in a first hand, second hand, third hand and fourth hand positions controlled by the at least one player to form a total of at least four player hands, the at least four player hands forming multiple player hands;
- c) distributing the total initial wager among the multiple player hands so that at least four hands have wagers equal to or exceeding the minimum wagers allowed for play of one of said multiple card games;
- d) dealing at least one face up card to the dealer comprising the dealer's hand, the at least one face up card being provided relative to each of the four player hands in the multiple player hands;
- e) the player s first hand being associated in play with at least one other of the second player s hand, the third player s hand, or the fourth player s hand to form a first group of player s hands for play against dealer s hands;
- f) with respect to each player's first wager and a player s hand associated with the first wager, the at least one player playing out the first player s hand and the associated player s hand to an identical conclusion of the play of the first player hand;
- g) at least two remaining player s hands not associated with the player s first hand form a second group of associated player s hands are played to conclusion in an identical manner according to the rules of Twenty-One;
- h) after all player s hands have been concluded and all dealer s hands have been concluded relative to each player s hands according to the rules of Twenty-One, all wagers are resolved on the play of each of the multiple card games according to the rules of Twenty-One.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the third player s hand and the fourth player s hand are associated in play and are played to an identical conclusion of the play of the third player s hand.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein all dealer s hands are played out independently.
7. The method of claim 4 wherein associated player s hands have dealer s hands played out to conclusion according to the rules of Twenty-One separately with regard to each set of associated player s hands.
8. The method of claim 4 wherein at least 5 player s hands are dealt and at least two associated groups of player s hands are played to conclusion according to the rules of the game of Twenty-One.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein each dealer s hand associated with a group of player s hands is played identically.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein each dealer s hand associated with a group of player s hands is played independently.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein each dealer s hand associated with a group of player s hands is played identically.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein each dealer s hand associated with a group of player s hands is played independently.
13. The method of claim 4 wherein the additional player hands are played individually according to the rules of Twenty-One and all dealer s hands provided relative to each player s hands are played out identically according to the rules of Twenty-One.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 31, 2002
Publication Date: Jun 12, 2008
Inventor: Kathleen Nylund Jackson (Scituate, MA)
Application Number: 10/335,554
International Classification: G06F 17/00 (20060101);